Building structure

ABSTRACT

A segmented building structure consisting of a plurality of similar wedge-shaped sectors, all converging upwardly and sloping inwardly to form a building resembling a pyramid. Each sector, however, is so shaped that it bulges outwardly slightly, and each consists of several segmental panels of trapezoidal shape. The outward bulge in each sector is achieved by making the acute angle between the bottom edge and a side edge of each segmental panel slightly greater than the corresponding angle in the segmental panel next above it.



1. A peaked segmented building structure comprising: a base; a plurality of similar, upwardly convergent and inwardly sloping adjacent sectors, each supported by said base, all sectors being divided into segmental panels at their intersections with a plurality of vertically spaced, hypothetical horizontal planes, the segmental panels defined between each two adjacent horizontal planes constituting a ring of segmental panels, each segmental panel being flat and having the shape of a trapezoid of which the top and bottom edges are parallel and the two side edges are equal in length and convergent, the acute angle between the bottom edge and each side edge diminishing from one segmental panel to the segmental panel next above it, thereby to give each sector a slight outward bulge, the lowermost ring of segmental panels defining a polygon at its contact with the base; the profile of said slight outward bulge of each sector lying between a straight line and the critical curve line for the sector, and being different from either; said last-mentioned characteristic of the profile being assured by first choosing an actual profile for each sector, by then calculating for each segmental panel in a sector its weight and length and the location of its gravitational center, by then sequentially balancing moment arms about one end of each segmental panel in order to determine the ratios between the tangents of the angles defined between the panels and the horizontal which will place the sector of segmental panels in static equilibrium from the base to the peak, by then using trail-and-error to find the set of angles which (a) satisfies the said ratios, and (b) yields the same peak-to-base angle as occurs with the actual segmental panels for which the weights, lengths and gravitational centers were determined, and finally by ensuring that the actual profile defined by the actual segmental panels lies within and is straighter than the static equilibrium profile calculated as above recited.
 2. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 1, in which the sectors define at their upper ends an opening capable of being closed by any suitably shaped capping structure.
 3. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 1, in which each panel consists of sheet material secured to a framework.
 4. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 1, in which a gasket is pinched between adjacent vertical and horizontal edges of the segmental panels.
 5. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 3, in which adjacent panels have their frameworks secured together.
 6. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 1, in which said polygon is substantially a regular polygon, such that all sectors have substantially the same base dimension.
 7. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 6, in which each panel consists of sheet material secured to a framework, in which adjacent panels have their frameworks secured together, and in which a gasket is pinched between adjacent vertical and horizontal edges of the segmental panels.
 8. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 1, in which the critical curve line is outward of a hypothetical circular curve line containing the ends of the sector and having its mid-point displaced outwardly from a rectilinear line joining the ends of the sector by a distance which is at least 6 percent of the length of said rectilinear line, and in which the said profile lies between the critical curve line and said hypothetical circular curve line, the said profile being closer to the hypothetical circular curve line than to the critical curve line.
 9. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 8, in which the said profile of Each inwardly sloping sector defines a curve of which the mid-point is displaced outwardly from a rectilinear line joining the ends of the sector by a distance which is about 6.5 percent of the length of said rectilinear line.
 10. A segmented building structure as claimed in claim 1, in which the sectors converge to a peak having a slope of at least 30* to the horizontal, thereby to minimize the risk that a snow load will cause the effective critical curve line to move inwardly as far as the actual sector profile.
 11. The invention claimed in claim 1 in which there are at least four contiguous segmental panels arranged with two of the panels adjacent each other in one ring of segmental panels and the other two panels adjacent each other immediately above in the next upward ring of segmental panels, each lower panel of the four being in surface contact with the panel immediately above it along a contact plane inclined inwardly and downwardly with respect to the building structure, the said contact planes for the two lower panels defining between them an obtuse dihedral angle.
 12. The invention claimed in claim 1, in which the intersection location of at least two adjacent rings of panels is free of internal support. 